Bay Area self-driving car companies are ready to ramp up hiring, but skilled talent is in short supply

There’s a race under way involving self-driving vehicles. For talent.

All the leading players in the self-driving industry — automakers, auto suppliers, major tech companies and startups alike — are vying for the hires they need to put them ahead. The clearest sign of the surge came when General Motor’s Cruise Automation revealed that it received $8 million in tax credits from California last month to create more than 1,100 jobs related to self-driving vehicles.

But there is a limited pool…